Improved self-regulating windmill



, when needed.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. MAY, OF JANESVILLE, IVISCONSIN.

IMPROVED SELF-REGULATING WINDMILLs Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 16,492, dated January 27, 1857.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. MAY, of the city of J anesville, Rock county, State of \Visconsin, have invented a new and Improved Vindmill, or Wheel to be Propelled by the Wind, and in Regulating and Controlling the Same; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, the same letters of reference indicating cor responding parts in each figure.

The nature of my invention consists in making solid elbows the arms of which are at right angles (or nearly so) to each other, one arm of each elbow having attached to it a sail, (or wing,) being, in fact, the stem of the sail, and the other arm of the elbow has attached to it a ball or Weight, this arm being really a lever to turn or revolve the sail and stem. This arm of the elbow forming the le- "er maybe so shaped as to be of sufficient or round tenon extends from the angle of the elbow in a line with the stem, which pivot fits a step-bearing in the hub, while the stem is also further supported by a bearing at the end of the arm projecting from the hub. The plane of the sail is about at a right angle with the arm carrying the weight, and maintains the same relative position to each other in whatever obliquity or position the wing or sail may be placed. The hub is attached to the end of a horizontal shaft, or the forward 7 end of the shaft may be a little elevated, the other end of which rests on suitable bearings on a turn-table, and on which shaft and between the bearings is formed a crank (or cog gear-wheels may be used) to communicate power by a perpendicular shaft or piston to the ground or place below the wind-wheel This crank-shaft between the hub and bearing on the turn-table has a thimble or sliding band which moves easily on the shaft, this thimble, connected by means of bars or rods and set-screws or bolts to the lever-arm, carrying the weights, so that by moving the thimble back and forth on the shaft the'arms and weights also move back and forth. The movement at the same time revolves the sails, giving them any desired obliquity, the arms carrying the weights acting as levers in revolving the sails, The end of the thimble nearest the turn-table is grooved so as to admit a ring that will Work easily and does not revolve while the sliding band and shaft and wind-wheel revolve. This thimble is connected by the ring in the groove and bars or rods to another thimble or sliding band on a strong tube fastened to a post that supports the machine and projectsupward above the fastening parallel with and a few inches distant from the post, and through which tube the piston or vertical shaft easily passes. These thimbles,with connecting-bars joint-ed to them, so that they move easily, form together what I call a shackle. The connecting-bars pass throughand inside of the circle of the turn-table and between the edge of the turn-table and bridge supporting the horizontal shaft, the lower thimble moving perpendicularly on the tube and the other thimble moving horizontally on the shaft and perfeetlyin unison in whatever direction the machine is revolved on the turn-table. The thimble on the tube is made with a groove, and in it fitting easily and furnished with setscrews affords a means of attaching to the ring a rod forked at the upper end and jointed to a horizontal lever at the lower end. By this means a direct and absolute communication is made to the wings or sails and perfect control of the sails in giving and holding them in any desired angle or degree of obliquity to the wind, varying them instantly and easily. This absolute and easy control by any person on the ground by the mere movement of a lever is one of the leading features of my invention, while another leading feature is the control that the Weights 011 the arms of the elbows have in revolving the. sails, giving different degrees of obliquity thereto by the centrifugal force communicated by the revolving of the wind-wheels when the horizontal lever below is left free.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand, construct, and use my invention, I will proced to describe the same.

Figure l is a perspective View of the machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section along the axis of the perpendicularand horizontal shafts, elucidating the perspective drawing, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation showing a sail and elbow and a ball or weight. Fig. a is an elevation showing of the connections used in con trolling the machine. Fig. 5 is a detail drawing of the bars connecting the sliding bands together, forming the shackle connection between the horizontal and perpendicular shafts. Fig. 6 is another drawing of the shackle in detail.

Fig.1: A is a post, the end of which ismade firm in any proper manner, the top end of which terminates in a circle, the upper plane of which is horizontal with a projecting rim or flange, on which is fitted a corresponding circle B, with a flange extending downward sufficiently to receive set-screws, the points of which extend under the rim to keep the upper circle to its place, yet allowing it to revolve easily, the two circles thus forming a turntable. B is the upper circle of the turn-table, on which rests and in which is fastened the bridges or beams C O, with suitable bearings for the crank-shaft D D. On this shaft may be placed instead of a crank a driving-gear cogwheel to match a pinion cog-wheel on the upper end of the vertical shaft, which shaft has a bearing above the pinion and will be sup ported. in its place by another beam orbridge with a bearing across the top of the upper cir cle of the turntable; or the forward bridge may be moved back so far and so formed that it will answer for both the bearingsviz., for the horizontal and perpendicular shafts. In case the gear-wheels are used the sliding band may be placed on the perpendicular shaft instead of the tube, the connection by means of the shackle then being the same as when the crank is used. E is the piston passing through and guided by the tube G. F is the connecting-bar extending from the crank P, to which it is attached by a strap or other bearing, and extends down to and connects with the piston by means of a ball, universal joint, or other suitable joint. H is athimble or sliding band, at the lower end or edge of which is a groove for a ring, which is jointed by set-screws or bolts to the rod U, and the upper end or edge of the thimble has the end of the connecting-bars O fastened by means of set-screws or pivots made to work easily. Inrevolving the sails on their respective bearings, this thimble moves vertically on the tube G. I is the thimble or sliding on the horizontal shaft, on one end or edge of which thimble is a groove for the ring Q, and to this ring the connecting-bars O are attached by set-screws or pivots while this band revolves with the shaft and wheel. The ring, fitting easily in the groove, remains stationary except when used in moving the thimble backward or forward. The forward end of this thimble has flattened surfaces, or is made in a square form outside, so as to allow the bars T T T T to be jointed thereto by belts or setscrews. Being made with fiat surfaces for the bars facilitates its rotary motion with the wheel and shaft. J J J J are the arms of the wheel, and radiate from the hub K. These arms and this hub support and keep in proper position by means of bearings the elbows, the long armsL L L L of which form the stems of the sails M M M M, while the short arms of the elbows R R R R, acting as levers, have the balls or weights S S S S attached with screws or in any suitable manner near the end, so that the weight can be moved to lengthen or shorten the distance from the angle of the elbow to the weight; or these levers may be so shaped and made so heavy as to need additional Weights. These short arms act as levers in revolving the sails and stems; also, these arms or levers have jointed to them one end of the bars T T T T, so that when the thimble I is moved back and forth on the shaft these arms and weights move together. These arms may be attached to the stems of the sails at such point as will be most convenient to connect by the bars to the sliding thimble I. N is the vane that keeps the wheel in the face of the wind by causing the entire upper part of the machine resting on the turn-table to revolve as the winds blow from different points of the compass. V is a horizontal lever attached to the post by a bolt for a fulcrum and jointed by a bolt to the perpendicular rod U. This lever is provided with a movable weight or weights, so that in combination with the weight of the rod U and weight of the shackle the lever-arms R R R R are brought with any desired force to their appropriate position near the shaft D, and by moving the Weight on the lever V the centrifugal force of the weights on the lever-arms R R R R may be resisted to any desired extent in balancing the wind-wheel.

Fig. 2: This vertical section elucidates Fig. 1. It is represented as severed through the line of the shaft longitudinally and exhibits many of the parts and connections in detail. The same letters representing the same parts in other figures, it will be readily understood by reference thereto. I

Fig. 3: This elevated view shows the elbow composed of the arms L and R and the sail M, whose vertical plane is at right angles (or nearly so) with the arm R; also shows the pivot or round tenon \V in a line with the arm L, which fits it, bearing in the hub; also shows the ball or weight S, used for the power of its centrifugal force to revolve the sail and in balancing the power and motion of the windwheel. The arm R may-project from the arm or stem L at any point most convenient to be connected by bar T in Fig. 1 to the shackle, in which case the tenon V will be a continuation of the stem or arm L in a line from the angle to the hub of the wheel. The arms R and L may be made of one piece of material bent to form the angle of the elbow, or may be formed by welding two pieces together, or the part forming the stem L may be perforated at the proper point for the angle of the elbow, and the part forming the lever-arm R fitted by a screw or by riveting to the stem L, or the elbow may be formed in any Substantial manner and of any suitable material.

Fig. 4: This figure shows more fully the importance of the tube G, it being fastened to the post A so as to make its center the center vertically of the turn table. It is also important in being the guide both for the piston E and the thimble H, and in being the indispensable center both for communicating power from the wind perpendicularly by the piston F and in affording a medium for relative as well as absolute control during the severest wind.

Fig. 5 shows the shackle formed by the two thimbles I and H, connected with the bars 0. This shackle is the only means of connection and control between the horizontal and perpendicular shaft for governing purposes. The thimbles operating on the horizontal and perpendicular centers form the basis of control'at will of the machine at the point where the power is used for practical purposes.

Fig. 6 shows another mode of making the part of the shackle formed by the connectingbars. Instead of the bars bolted together, as at O O in Fig. 5, a solid bar Z, forked at each end, may be used, or any suitable mode of connecting the thimbles may be adopted. If the thimbles are quite a distance apart, the connecting-bars will need to be somewhat curved, as in Fig.1,to allow a free movement inside of the turn-table. a a are set-screws to fasten the forks to the rings and thimbles. Y Y are the forks of the rod U. The forks may be used in a groove, or set-screws and rings may be used in forming the connection.

The wheel being at rest and the sails in the desired obliquity or angle to the line of the wind-current to be moved by the wind, the weights on the elbow-levers occupy a position near the horizontal shaft. The wheel is put in motion by the winch-and as the revolutions are increased the weights, being equally distributed in distance from the shaft and from each other as they advance by means of the bars jointed to the thimble on the horizontal shaft, begin to expand their circle by centrifugal force as the wind-wheel increases in rapidity of its revolutions, and the weights as they enlarge their circle of motion in revolving move forward, or toward the wind, and thus in expanding or enlarging their circle the positions of the sails are changed gradually, presenting less and less surface to the line of the wind-current until the motion of the wind-wheel is checked. It will be also 7 observed that the thimble on the horizontal shaft, being connected with the arms carrying the weights by the bars described, has moved forward by this action of the weights, and this thimble, being connected with the thimble on the perpendicular tube, and the last-named thimble being connected by a rod or shaft to the horizontal lever below, also moves the horizontal lever,the ends of which (the fulcrum being near the center) rise and fall wit-h expansion and contraction of the circle of the weights on the elbow-levers. The velocity and power of the wind-wheel being now somewhat checked, the weights on the elbowlevers, aided by the -weight of the shackle, the connecting-rod, and the horizontal lever below, and also aided by the upward inclination of the horizontal shaft, (the desired angle being given by the proper elevation of the bearings,) are caused to return to their former position, and in so doing gradually revolve each sail toward its original position, so as to present more surface to the line of the wind-current, thereby giving the wind wheel increased power and velocity again, which will be again checked, when it becomes too great, by the expansion of the circle of the Weights, as before, thus checking, accelerating, regulating, and controlling the velocity of the wind-wheel when the hori zontal lever below is left free. The tendency also of the weights on the elbow-levers is to .keep up the motion of the wind-wheel during a sudden temporary suspension of the force of the wind and contributing to the evenness, constancy, and power of the wind-wheel, the weights S S S S making, in fact, an expanding and contracting balance-wheel.

The horizontal lever near the ground may be weighted at one or both ends, and may be moved to or from the fulcrum; also, the weights on the arms of the elbows may be moved by means of screws or otherwise nearer to or farther from the angle of the elbows, allowing the wind-wheel a greater or less number of revolutions in a given space of time, according to the distance from the angle of the elbow to the balls or weights. hen the balls are farthest from the angle of the elbow, a less number of revolutions in a given space .of time expands the .circle made by the weights than when the balls are but a short distance from the angle of the elbow. By means of the horizontal lever and its connection with the sails, as described, absolute and instant control of the wind-wheel is obtained. By this means also the sails may be placed and kept in any desired obliquity or the edge of the sails placed to the wind, so that the wind-wheel cannot revolve and can only be veered to the wind by means of the vane and turn-table. This machine may be constructed of any suitable material, is simple, cheap, and effective, and under absolute control from the ground with a little force, and if left to itself will adjust itself to an even and uniform motion.

When the crank-shaft is used, it is more valuable for pumping water or other purposes requiring a vertical motion; but for many connected with each other, as hereinbefore purposes Where rotary motion is required the gear cog-Wheels are preferable and should. be used by making the variation in the construction as herein described.

I do not claim the separate devices for regulating the Wind-Wheel independent of their connection with each other.

I olaim The arrangement of the devices, which are described, for the purpose of regulating the velocity of the Wind-Wheel, and also for the purpose of controlling the wind-Wheel independently of its self-regulating properties.

JOHN M. MAY. Witnesses:

HENRY WOODRUFF, LEONARD ARNOLD. 

